Rory Whaling

An interview with Rory Whaling: 'The extra regulation that is being introduced in the P2P sector can only be seen as a good thing'



In an interview with Development Finance Today, Rory Whaling, relationship director at marketplace lender Assetz Capital (pictured above), discusses the challenges of working in the P2P market and current and future developments in this particular space.


Over the years, what changes have you seen in the development and P2P sectors?

Tech has played a major part as we see lenders constantly improving their platforms and offerings as they grow. Regulation has become tighter over the past few years too, which is a positive move for the industry as a whole.

What would you say is the most challenging aspect of working in the P2P market?

Ensuring we maintain a good balance between supporting businesses and managing the risk to our lenders is probably the key challenge. The business is in a growing industry and one that has a continuously changing regulatory and financial landscape with very few deals being the same, so it’s an exciting place to be. Our knowledge and expertise as relationship directors forms a key part of this very important balance.

In the near future, what would you like to see change or improve in development and P2P?

The extra regulation that is being introduced in the P2P sector can only be seen as a good thing. I’d like to see more instances of businesses operating the right way to support the investors who make this type of lending possible.

Assetz Capital was recently named one of the fastest-growing tech firms. What would you say are the key elements that make Assetz different and more successful than other companies in this respect?

Quite simply: people. The variety of great people that we have at Assetz Capital makes us stand out from the crowd. There is an entrepreneurial spirit among the team, embodied by Stuart Law (CEO), and we take a very positive and holistic approach to how we do business. There’s so much experience and knowledge in each department and that is reflected in how we operate. It’s an exciting business to be involved with.

What is it about Assetz Capital that makes it a good place to be a relationship director? 

Assetz Capital is able to support great businesses which fall outside of the mainstream banking criteria and we get to build a relationship with these businesses by meeting with them face to face. This enables us to put together a bespoke support package to really help them grow and achieve their aims. It feels really great when you have helped a business through that growth cycle which, in turn, supports the local and wider British economy.

If you weren’t in the financial industry, what would you be doing?

I really enjoy working with businesses to understand and find ways to support their strategy, so I would look to work with companies on a consultancy basis to achieve this. If I won the lottery, I would be travelling to the world’s most exotic underwater sites to continue my passion for scuba diving.



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